The Tribune's Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly.

Why didn't John Fox run Jeremy Langford more, especially in the second half? Only 20 team carries is too low. The Bears had the lead until the fourth quarter! -- @jobin_theman

The simple explanation is the Bears didn’t have enough plays to
commit to the running game more. They ran only 54 offensive plays during
the game as opposed to 72 for the Texans.
Yes, the Bears led entering the fourth quarter, but they got next to
nothing done on offense in the second half. While the Bears had 29
offensive snaps in the second half, eight came on the final drive that
began with two minutes to play and 11 of those 29 snaps came when they
trailed 23-14 with 6:10 remaining. They had a total of 12 plays in their
first four possessions of the second half. In other words, nothing was
working. I would expect John Fox and offensive coordinator Dowell
Loggains to discuss a greater commitment to the run this week. Let’s not
lose sight of the more important issue here either. The Bears need to
run the ball better. It’s not like they abandoned something that was
cooking for them. Langford had 57 yards on 17 carries and broke off one
15-yard gain in the third quarter. The team totaled 73 yards on 20
carries. The problem with that is 12 yards came on one Jay Cutler
scramble. So, they didn’t run the ball well against a talented front
seven and that is of greater concern to me than counting up the number
of handoffs.

Alshon Jeffery
is the Bears' only unrestricted free-agent starter at season’s end.
Does a year like 2013-14 mean a long-term deal with Bears or at least a
franchise tag? -- @jtbarczak

That’s a very good point about the first string. But the
mailbag isn’t going to get into a weekly referendum on what’s to come
for Jeffery. There was a ton of that last season and I will repeat what I
said then: General manager Ryan Pace and his staff are not going to
base their decision in regards to Jeffery (or any other player) on one
week, one month, the first half of the season or anything else. They’ve
got an entire season to make a judgment, so why not use it all? If
Jeffery puts up a big season, I find it hard to believe they would let
him depart. They’re short on playmakers as it is and losing their best
would put them behind. They could attempt to hammer out a long-term deal
and use the franchise tag in order to buy more time for themselves.
Reality is it’s going to be more expensive to sign Jeffery for the long
haul if he has a big season. The salary cap is rising and the tag will
be more expensive. But this is an issue for much further down the road.

I traveled to Houston for the game. Was the film as bad on Bobby Massie as it appeared live? Hard to believe he got paid that much. -- @bjones2233 

sped around the corner and sacked Jay Cutler for a 7-yard loss on
third-and-2. Massie looked like he was standing still when Mercilus
motored past him for an unimpeded run at Cutler. The thing is, I don’t
believe this was Massie’s fault. When the Bears are in the shotgun
formation and are using a silent count, there is a process that has to
be followed. Left guard Josh Sitton taps center Cody Whitehair
when Cutler is ready to receive the ball and then Whitehair is supposed
to drop his head to alert the offensive tackles he’s ready to snap the
ball. In this instance, Sitton tapped Whitehair and the rookie center
snapped the ball immediately without dropping his head. So, Mercilus
sees the ball snapped and Massie wasn’t expecting it. Any offensive
tackle is going to have a problem with that. That’s a mechanism in the
process that the Bears can clean up rather easily. We know it’s going to
take some time to iron out issues on the offensive line. They’re going
to need to work together for some time.

With the Eastern
Illinois University connection, if Jimmy Garoppolo continues to impress,
is it realistic to think the Bears could send a pick to Patriots for him this offseason? -- @rpterrell

For starters, I don’t think the EIU connection is going to have anything to
do with Garoppolo. It’s not like he and Bears GM Ryan Pace were
teammates. It’s a nice storyline but not something that will drive a
deal. If Garoppolo plays well in his next three starts for the Patriots,
I think it’s realistic to believe every team without a frontline
starting quarterback will have interest. In my opinion, New England will
be motivated to get the best package in return for Garoppolo. That
means the best pick, best combination of picks, best player or the best
combination of pick(s) and player(s). The Patriots will probably be
looking to trade Garoppolo to any team not in the AFC East. That could put the Bears in play – and a host of other teams as well. If Garoppolo plays well, the price will not be cheap.

Does Mitch Unrein offer enough to be starting? -- @kvdrake

career. Unrein had one solo tackles and was credited with two hits on
Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler. He played 38 snaps in the game, which is more than he had in every game but the Week 15 game vs. the Vikings (45). The Bears really like third-round draft pick Jonathan Bullard and it’s going to take a little time for him to come along. Bullard was in the rotation and they’re both going to play plenty. Cornelius Washington
was also involved. I think Unrein is a good player to have in the
rotation to log 30 or so snaps per game. If Bullard or Washington takes a
really big step forward, they could challenge for more playing time.

Why play a center with no prior experience at the position against a defense that ranks among the NFL's best? -- @dav264

I thought Cody Whitehair looked pretty decent for his first NFL start and
considering he didn’t play center in preseason for more than 10 snaps.
There were scouts with other teams I spoke to in the spring that
believed center would be his best position even though he didn’t play
there at Kansas State. They lauded his intelligence and ability to
communicate and thought he could grow into a fine player at that
position. I think it’s a good idea for the Bears to get their young
players on the field and get them experience so they can improve. They
need building blocks and there is no question Whitehair can be one of
those guys.

Do you think Leonard Floyd was a more sound pick for the Bears than Vernon Hargreaves? -- @yessmiss

I think if you really like a pass-rushing prospect, you should draft him
every time. Reality is you can’t have enough quality pass rushers in the
NFL. Hargreaves had a strong preseason for the Buccaneers
and looks like he will be a really good player. The Bears have issues
in their secondary and will likely be looking to improve that area in
the offseason to come. Floyd flashed his athletic ability against the
Texans and was on the field for 60 of the 75 snaps, more than any other
outside linebacker. In my opinion, you can’t complain about the Bears
not having an adequate pass rush and then criticize the effort to
upgrade that area. Floyd should be fun to watch this season. There is
going to be a learning curve for him, but his athletic ability sets him
apart. They don’t have another player on the roster like him.

I’d like to see what Jordan Howard can do. Jeremy Langford’s 3.4 yards per carry is mediocre, similar to last year. Let's see what the kid can do. -- @tha_dingus

You’re not alone in having interest in watching the fifth-round pick from Indiana. Howard and backup quarterback Brian Hoyer are the only two players that were in uniform on Sunday and did not play against the Texans. Howard had 107 yards on 16 carries and gained
another 33 yards on two receptions in the preseason finale against
Cleveland. Now, the bulk of that production came against players who are
no longer on the Browns’ 53-man roster, but it was a nice look at what Howard can do. Playing
time for young running backs often comes down to how comfortable the
coaching staff is with the back’s ability to handle pass protection
assignments. Against a defense with really good pass rushers like the
Texans, there could have been some natural hesitation. I would imagine
we'll get a chance to see Howard in the future.

John Fox admitted regret for not challenging the generous spot given to the
Texans on Brock Osweiler's third-and-1 QB sneak. While Fox didn't have
access to the various angles and markers we see at home, Bears personnel
in the booth did. Additionally, they had sufficient time to inform Fox
that he should challenge the spot. Given that this did not happen, I
would like to know who is ultimately accountable for ensuring that the
information related to this or any other challengeable play is received
by Fox? It seems to me that someone dropped the ball, but who is that
person(s)? – Vikas A., North Potomac, Md.

Ultimate responsibility for not challenging the spot belongs to Fox. It’s the
head coach’s decision and he’s in charge of assigning people he trusts –
his assistant coaches in the box – to give him the information he needs
to make an informed challenge or a decision to not throw the red flag.
Fox is correct when he says it’s usually difficult to win a challenge on
a spot. Those are low-percentage challenges. In this case, I don’t
think there is much question that a challenge would have moved the ball
and overturned the spot on the field. With the officials bringing out
the chains to measure, there was certainly more time than usual to
gather information and challenge the spot.

On Tuesday, Fox answered questions about the situation:

“At the time if I had the ability to see what people get to see at home,
with yellow lines and blue lines and all the things … I think … we might
have won it,” Fox said. “Hindsight, I wish I would have challenged it.”  In a 23-14 game, I don’t believe that missed chance was the difference, but it certainly would have helped.

Fox challenged a 35-yard reception by Texans wide receiver Will Fuller
later in the game and lost. He challenged four plays last season and was
successful with one. In four seasons with the Broncos, Fox was 13-for-29 on replay challenges.